Rose Double Knock Out®

One of the true garden winners is the Knock Out® Rose. If you are an organic gardener, this rose is a perfect choice. You won’t have to add any poisons to your environment. I even planted one of these Knock Outs next to my vegetable patch. A double red grows at the boundary, in a dappled shade area.

The original Knock Out® red rose and its sister, the pink Knock Out® Rose both will grow tall in your sunny garden. I trim mine back to about 4 feet high and then let it do its thing the rest of the year. They both make an ideal hedge plant and, with their substantial thorns, stop any unwelcome pathfinders through your garden. You can cut them back in late winter to keep them shorter, tidier and full.

The write-up in Park Seed’s email catalog section says that it will rest for a short time in the summer. I’ve not seen that in my garden. It blooms with a blanket of color all spring long, starting now, in late April. They only time it looks a bit ratty is when the Japanese Beetles descend on it. But they are soon gone and the shrub will throw out new blossoms in no time.

Rose Double Knock Out®

These workhorses thrive in zones 4-9, and are maintenance free. You won’t need to cut off the dead blossoms (deadheading) unless you want to have it company ready before they drop.

Although I do have an irrigation system, my original red Knock Out® and the newer double red are both in dead zones, so they don’t get extra water. They thrive. I top dress with a good compost and mulch with leaves and pine straw. They stay happy all season long, giving me a whole lot more than I have ever given them.